On a rainy, foggy night for football at Dietz Field in Hendersonville, the #14 seeded Avery Vikings tangled with the third-seeded Hendersonville Bearcats in the first round of the 1-AA high school football playoffs.Avery scored the first touchdown in the game, forced a turnover on its ensuing kickoff, and gained two additional turnovers on the Bearcats’ first two offensive series of the game.
Despite all the good fortune, the Vikings could not capitalize with any points. The Bearcats made Avery pay when they finally found their groove on both sides of the football, scoring 56 unanswered points to rout the Big Red by the final score of 56-6.
With the first possession of the game, Avery’s new-look offense seemed to confuse the Bearcats. A 47-yard romp by senior running back Chase Arrowood moved the Big Red into Bearcats territory. Two plays later, a wide receiver end-around run by Adam Pate was good for a 32-yard touchdown. The PAT was blocked, but the Vikings led 6-0 just one minute into the contest.
The Vikings started freshman junior varsity quarterback Alex Villanueva in the contest, along with a number of other junior varsity players who saw extended action on both offense and defense to help bolster the team for playoff football. The infusion of new blood seemed to energize the Avery sideline, as the team burst into elation upon taking the lead.
Avery’s special teams unit made a big play on the ensuing kickoff, forcing a fumble from return man Cedrick Allen. The Vikings recovered the ball inside the Hendersonville 30, but could not move the football and had to punt.
The Viking defense appeared overmatched as the Bearcats drove the football downfield. Cedrick Allen broke off a 68-yard scurry to set the offense up inside the Viking red zone.
However, the stunned Bearcats were dealt another blow when defensive end Cole Blackburn caused a fumble by Bearcats quarterback Ben Walgenbach inside the Viking ten-yard line. Linebacker Nathaniel Buchanan fell on the football to turn the home team away.
The stout Hendersonville defense forced another Avery punt, but the defense rose to the occasion as the second Bearcats offensive series was snuffed out by a Chris Childress interception of Walgenbach. A recurring theme of inability to capitalize occurred again for Avery, however, as the Bearcats refused to allow the Vikings to build further momentum and forced another punt, the third of six straight punts to close Viking possessions in the first half.Hendersonville finally scored for the first time with 49 seconds left in the quarter on a two-yard touchdown run by Corey Cook. Kicker Will Roper’s extra point gave the Bearcats a lead it would never relinquish as the quarter closed with the Bearcats up 7-6.
The second quarter of play was a complete nightmare for Avery, as Hendersonville scored on five straight possessions with its big-play offense. The Bearcats scored on pass plays of 78 and 81 yards to wide receiver James Foster, Cedrick Allen added a pair of touchdown runs of 61 and 43 yards, and a wide receiver handoff to Daniel Orr netted a 49-yard touchdown, staking the Bearcats to a commanding 42-6 halftime advantage.
Hendersonville used a total possession time of only 1:51 in the entire second quarter and scored five times, while Avery held the ball for ten minutes with nothing to show for it.
The Bearcats exploded for 314 yards of total offense in the quarter, turning the game into a lopsided contest.
The Bearcats tacked on a pair of touchdowns in the second half while the defense held the Big Red scoreless over the final two quarters to seal the win and advance to the second round of the playoffs.
Chase Arrowood led Avery with 85 yards rushing on ten carries, all in the first half of play as he sat out the second half due to injury. Villanueva ended his varsity debut with 4 pass completions on 21 attempts for 37 yards as he was harassed all evening by a relentless Bearcats defense. Cedrick Allen led the Bearcats with 288 yards rushing on only 13 attempts and three touchdowns. Walgenbach was 3 of 7 passing for 197 yards and two touchdowns.
The Vikings close the 2008 season with a disappointing 2-10 overall record, their worst finish since a 4-7 record in 2001.
